Collapsible building structure with center post erecting structure



1964 B. B. GREENBIE COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH CENTER POST ERECTING STRUCTURE Original Filed Sept. 2, 1958 INVENTOR.

BARRIE B. GREENBIE ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,166,165 7 COLLAPlBLE BUILDENG TRUCTURE WITH CENTER PGST EREtCTlNG STRUQTURE Barrie B. Greenbie, Tuckahoe, N.Y., assignor to Portapaviiion Structures, Ltd, New York, N.Y., a corporation oi New York Original application Sept. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 753,502, new Patent No. 3,017,893, dated Jan. 23, 1962. Bi /tried and this appiication Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,593 7 Claims. (Cl. 1354) This invention relates to collapsible structures of the type which may be erected on a site, used, then taken down for storage or for transporting to a new site for subsequent erection.

This application is a division of the application of Barrie B. Greenbie, Serial No. 758,502, filed September 2,

1958, now Patent No. 3,017,893, issued January 23, 1962,

for Collapsible Building Structure.

Although the invention deals principally with a portable structure, it is to be understood at the outset that it is unnecessary that the structure be moved from one place to another. The principles of the invention are applicable equally between portable and stationary structures.

The invention provides a lightweight rigid framework for supporting a tent-like covering of plastic or other material, without interior posts or other interior supports that are located in such position as to obstruct vision from within the building. '7

The structure of this invention is ideally suited for a portable theater but, of course, the actual use of the structure is left within the prerogative of the owner. For instance, military installations have used numerous Quonset huts, and the principles of this invention are applicable as a substitute for a Quonset hut or as a building cornpanion thereto. This means that this invention has application in connection with garages and many other types of occupations, trades, etc. I

An object of the invention is to provide a building structure which is easily assembled with a minimum crew but yet, which provides a very sturdy, lightweight,'functional architecturally distinctive building structure with no columns or posts to obstruct vision from anywhere within the area enclosed by the building structure.

To achieve this, the invention has a plurality of cantilever trusses and exterior struts which eliminate the need for interior poles and exterior guy ropes, making the framework a self-supporting, free standing structure that is stable and which may be put to any number of uses.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the structure particularly showing one of the trusses during erection.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2--2. of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of the temporary center post used for erection and the various parts of the structure thereon.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the anchors used in the structure; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the anchor illustrated in FIG. 4.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, there is illustrated a collapsible building structure it) which is portable. Structure has a framework 12 made of a plurality of radial "ice trusses 14.- Each truss 14 may include an upper chord member 16 and a lower chord member 18 with connecting members 20, 21 and 22 attached by fittings to the upper and lower chord members. The upper chord is made in two parts 24 and 26 which are attached to fitting 28 at their adjacent ends and which are attached at their outer ends to fitting 3i and slide 32 respectively. Guy wire bracing may be crossed between adjacent members 20, 21 and 22 in order to accept some of the tension stresses that are applied to the truss during and after erection.

A slide 32 is made of a base plate 46 with a plurality V of radial brace plates 48 fixed to it and fixed to the sleeve 5%, the latter welded or otherwise secured to base plate 46 and in alignment with an opening in the center thereof. The slide is adapted to move vertically on the temporary post 52 at the center of the building structure framework to facilitate erection. The major part of the post is removed after erection so that it does not obstruct vision from anywhere within the enclosure of the building. A fitting, not seen in the drawings, is threaded or otherwise attached to the inner extremity of thelower chord member 18, and it may have an ear with an opening to accommodate a hinge pin. The hinge pin is passed through one of the apertures 53 in one of the plates 48 of slide 32 to form a hinge connection between the slide 32 and the truss 14. Fitting 6t in the lower chord member 18 is a sleeve which is attached by pins to the adjacent ends of the lower chord member parts or sections. Here again, pins are suggested due to their ease of assembly and economy, although other fasteners such as screw threads could be used. Fitting 44 to which brace 21 is secured, is identical to fitting 60. However, fitting 42 to which brace 20 is attached may be slightly different because it has sleeve through which wiring may be passed. Although the fitting 42 is selected for accepting the wiring, this being the most practical point of entry, it is to be understood that the electrical outlets may be provided in any number of other hollow structural members of the framework. Fitting 42 is constructed of a sleeve having an upper car which has brace 26 connected to it by means of a pin. A lower ear has an aperture in it to accept a pin by which column or post '72 is pivoted to the fitting.

The fitting 3% on the lower part of the truss 14 is constructed of a sleeve to which adjacent parts of the upper chord member part 24'are secured, and it has a depending ear to which diagonal brace 76 is secured. Further, the depending ear has the final or outwardmost part of the lower chord member connected thereto for instance, by being attached to the same hinge pin 78 that is used for diagonal brace 76.

The upper chord member 16 has fittings 79 and 80 that are of identical construction, consisting of a sleeve with a depending apertured ear to which the braces 20 and 21 are pinned. There is a member that forms an axial extension of brace 22, and this is connected to the fitting 28. A part of an umbrella-like framework is operatively connected with member 96 and will be described subsequently.

Returning now to the post 72 and the diagonal brace 75, attention is invited to FIGS. 4 and 5. Anchor 96 is convertible so that it may be used for piercing the soil or on a solid foundation. When the collapsible structure is to be erected on soil, sod or any other type of ground without a concrete or like foundation, anchoring pin 98 is pierced into the soil. The anchoring pin has a sharp end and a threaded end 100 which is adapted to be threaded into socket 102. The socket is secured to anchor plate 1%, for instance by being welded or brazed, and separably holds the anchoring pin 98. When the struc ture is to be erected on a more solid base, for instance on concrete, asphalt, etc. the anchoring pin 98 is removed and replaced by a foot. In either case, anchor plate 104 accommodates the lower ends of post 72 and brace 76. A pair of parallel plates 106 and 108 are welded or otherwise secured to plate 104 and they are spaced apart sufficiently to accept the lower extremities of the post 72 and brace 76. Pairs 110 and 112 of aligned apertures are in plates 106 and 108 so that pins 114 and 116 may pass through them and through apertures in the lower extremities of the brace 76 and the post 72. Diagonal brace 76 remains idle during erection. But as soon as the truss has been elevated to the correct position (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1), the diagonal brace 76 is fastened by pin 116 to the anchor 96. Moreover, during erection post 72 is capable of hinged movement about its pin 114 connecting it to anchor 96. v

The previously referred to umbrella-like frame 120 has for each truss, a pair of frame members 122 and 124. The frame member 122 extends from the crown 126 to the previously referenced member 90 shown as a longitudinal coaxial extension of brace 22 of truss 14. The member 122 is made in two sections 130 and 132 connected by fitting 134. The fitting 134 is a sleeve into which the confronting ends of sections 130 and 132'are placed and pinned. The frame 120 member 124 is connected to collar 140 that is slidable on temporary post 52. As shown in FIG. 3, collar 140 is made of a ring 142 with a plurality of short radial arms 144, there being one arm for each brace 120 and more particularly, one arm for the frame member 124 of each frame 120. A pin is used to connect the inner end of member 124 to one of the short arms 144. Further, the ring 142 has a key 146 protuding radially inwardly, and the key slides in a keyway or slot 150 that extends longitudinally in the temporary post 52. The key 146 operating in the key slot 150 prevents the collar 140 from rotating but permits it to slide vertically on the temporary post.

Crown 126 has an upper plate 152 which may be ornamented or shaped in any other way, for instance conical as. shown. The crown plate 152 is secured to a sleeve 154 that fits on the center post 156. This is a short coaxial extension of the temporary post 52 that remains high in the collapsible structure and therefore, is well out of the line of vision of any of the occupants of the building structure. Pin 160 is used to attach the sleeve 154 to the center post 156, and there are a number of radial brace plates 162 attached to plate 152 and to sleeve 154. These plates are apertured so that the inner extremity of section 130 may be attached to one of them by a pin. The outer extremity of section 132 is disposed in sleeve 164. This sleeve 164 is pivotally connected to the upper end of member 90. The length of member 90 will determine the final spacing between the umbrella-like frame 20 and the remainder of the framework consisting chiefly of the trusses. This spacing furnishes ventilation for the interior of the building structure. A lightweight tough and sturdy covering such as plastic, e.g. Orlon or nylon, impregnated fabric may be used for covering the framework.

The temporary center post is made of tubular construction and is separably attached to the permanent center post 156. One possible method of attachment is shown in FIG. 2. A dowel 182 is attached to either post 52 or post 156 and slidably fitted into the bore of the other. The lower end of the temporary center post 52 is disposed on a jack 190 at the center of the proposed site. The jack may be any conventional jack operated manually. A jack stand 192 is used with the jack and furnishes 1 guide for the piston, screw, etc. of the jack. This phase of the collapsible building structure is definitely variable since numerous jacks are commercially available and nost of them will serve the purpose very well. When the lack is operated, it lifts the temporary center post 52 and the center post 156 to the correct height. Slide 32 is elevated, and to facilitate lifting the slide to which all of the trusses are secured, a' chain fall may be used.

Since the framework is so light in comparison to its size, elaborate equipment for lifting slide 32 is unnecessary. Therefore, a rope 194 is shown entrained over a pulley 196 and secured to the slide 32. The pulley 196 is hung from a collar 198 that is slidable on the post 156 but whose downward travel is limited by fixed collar 200 that is either permanently or adjustably attached onto the post 156. As rope 194 and any others identical to it, are pulled, slide 32 is lifted thereby pivoting each truss 14 about hinge pins 114 and hinge pins 73 that attach post 72 to fitting 42 and eachof the other posts that are identical to post 72 and fittings 42. At the same time all frames 120 are elevated with the movement thereof imparted to the frame 120 by member 90 pushing upwardly on frame member 122. Collar 140 slides upwardly onto the post 156 to an over-center position so that all of the trusses now tend to move downwardly, but cannot because they remain locked in the elevated position by appropriate pins which are received within apertures 157 and 159 in the Slide 32 and collar 146 respectively, which pins are further received within appropriately positioned locking apertures in the post 156. Braces 76 are made 7 secure to the anchors 96, and the building is now in the erected condition insofar as its framework is concerned.

Now, the temporary center post 52 may be removed by lowering jack and slipping it from the bottom of the post 156. This leaves the entire enclosed area open and yet, the building structure is quite easily disassembled and assembled. The interior of the collapsible building structure may accommodate anything whatsoever, one or two possible uses having been discussed previously. To select but one use, note that for theatricalproductions, the stage may be at the center or along any wall of the structure.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosureand in some instances some features of the invention will be employed Without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the inventionherein.

What I claim is:

1. A collapsible building structure comprising a plurality of framework trusses, a slide hingedly secured to the inner extremities of each of said trusses, a center post extending only partially downward from the upper part of the building structure and terminating at a place vertically spaced upward from the bottom of the building structure, said slide adapted to move upwardly on saidcenter post to thereby elevate each truss simultaneously, posts near the outer extremities of said trusses and hingedly connected to said trusses to form a fulcrum for the motion of said trusses as they are being elevated, and braces connected to said trusses outwardly of said posts for stabilizing said trusses, anchors at the lower ends of said posts to which said posts and said braces are secured, said slide being in an elevated position on said center post and located above said posts.

2. A collapsible building structure comprising a plurality of framework trusses, a slide hingedly secured to the inner extremities of each of said trusses, a center post extending only partially downward from the upper part of the building structure and terminating at a place vertically spaced upward from the bottom of the building structure, said slide adapted to move upwardly on said center post to thereby elevate each truss simultaneously, posts near the outer extremities of said trusses and hingedly connected to said trusses to form a fulcrum forthe motion of said trusses as they are being elevated, and braces connected to said trusses outwardly of said posts; for stabilizing said trusses, anchors at the lower ends of said posts to which said posts and said braces are secured, said slide being in an elevated position on said center post and located above said posts, an umbrellalike frame having a crown secured to said center post and including frame members pivoted to said crown, said frame members having outer end parts, and each truss having a member extending upwardly from the upper chord thereof and to which said outer parts of said umbrella-like members are pivoted whereby said umbrellalike frame is movable to an erected position simultaneously with the upward movement of said trusses.

3. A collapsible building structure comprising a plurality of framework trusses, a slide hingedly secured to the inner extremities of each of said trusses, a center post extending only partially downward from the upper part of the building structure and terminating at a place vertically spaced upward from the bottom of the building structure, said slide adapted to move upwardly on said center post to thereby elevate each truss simultaneously, posts near the outer extremities of said trusses and hingcdly connected to said trusses to form a fulcrum for the motion of said trusses as they are being elevated, and braces connected to said trusses outwardly of said posts for stabilizing said trusses, anchors at the lower ends of said posts to which said posts and said braces are secured, said slide being in an elevated position on said center post and located above said posts, an umbrellalike frame having a crown secured to said center post and including frame members pivoted to said crown, said frame members having outer end parts, and each truss having a member extendin upwardly from the upper chord thereof and to which said outer parts of said umbrella-like members are pivoted whereby said umbrellalike frame is movable to an erected position simultaneously with the upward movement of said trusses and said umbre l-Zfi frame is spaced from said trusses to provide ventilation openings therebetween.

4. A collapsible building structure comprising a plurality of framework trusses, a slide liingedly secured to the inner extremities of each of said trusses, a center post extending only pa tially downward from the upper part of the building structure and terminating at a place vertically spaced upward from the bottom of the building structure, said slide adapted to move upwardly on said center post to thereby elevate each truss simultaneously, posts near the outer extremities of said trusses and hingedly connected to said trusses to form a fulcrum for the motion or" said trusses as they are being elevated, and braces connected to said trusses outwardly of said posts for stabilizing said trusses, anchors at the lower ends of said post to which said posts and said braces are secured, said slide being in an elevated position on said center post and located above said posts, means connected to said center post and connected to said slide for elevating said slide and thereby elevating said trusses and said member of said umbrella-like frame.

5. In a portable and collapsible building structure, a plurality of framework trusses, each truss having an inner end and an outer end, cables connecting said trusses and providing means on which to support a covering, a post pivoted to each truss near the outer end thereof, means for anchoriri' the lower ends of said posts and permitting the posts to pivot slightly, each truss having a brace connected thereto and located radially outwardly from said posts and connected to said anchoring means of said posts, said posts establishing the wall region of the building structure, a slide at the inner end of each truss and hinged thereto, said slide adapted to move vertically in a path of travel constrained by a temporary center post which is adapted to be removed after erection so that the enclosure of the building structure is wholly unobstructed by posts, columns and the like, and means connected 5 to said slide for lifting said slide to a position located above the upper extremities of said posts.

6. In a portable and collapsible building structure, a plurality of framework trusses, each truss having an inner end and an outer end, cables connecting said trusses and providing means on which to support a covering, a post ,nivoted to each truss near the outer end thereof, means for anchoring the lower ends of said posts and permitting the posts to pivot slightly, each truss having a brace connected thereto and located radially outwardly from said posts and connected to said anchoring means of said posts, said posts establishing the wall region of the building structure, a slide at the inner end of each truss and hinged thereto, said slide adapted to move vertically in a path of travel constrained by a temporary center post i i is adapted to be emoved after erection so that the enclosure of the building structure is wholly unobstructed by posts, columns and the like, and means connected to said slide for lifting said slide to a position located above the upper extremities of said posts, said slide lifting means including a short center post located above the first mentioned post, structural connecting said short center post to each truss and retaining a portion of said short center post elevated above said trusses at all times, and a lift device connected with said snort center post and said slide.

7. in a portable and collapsible building structure, a plurality of framework trusses, each truss having an inner end and an outer end, cables connecting said trusses and providing means on which to support a covering, a post pivoted to each truss near the outer end thereof, means for anchorin the lower ends of said posts and permitting the posts to pivot slightly, each truss having a brace connected thereto and located radially outwardly from said posts, said posts establishing the wall region of the building structure, a slide at the inner end of each truss and hinged thereto, said slide adapted to move vertic lly in a path of travel constrained by a temporary center post which is adapted to be removed after erection so that the enclosure of the building structure is wholly unobstructed by posts, columns and the like, and means connected to said slide for lifting said slide to a position located above the upper extremities of said posts, said slide lifting means including a short center post located above the first mentioned post, structural means connecting said short center post to each truss and retaining a portion of said short center post elevated above said trusses at all times, and a lift device connected with said short center post and said slide, said means connecting said short center post with each of said trusses including an umbrella-like frame, a crown at the top of said short center post, said umbrella-like frame including frame members pivoted to said crown, and members extending upwardly from the upper chord of each truss and pivotally attached to said members that are pivotally secured to said crown so that when said trusses are raised to the elevated position, said umbrella-like members are retained elevated above the upper chords of said trusses and thereby provide ventilation space therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,449,894 Dial Mar. 27, 1923 1,843,961 Stone Feb. 9, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 2,948 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1868 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FRAMEWORK TRUSSES, A SLIDE HINGEDLY SECURED TO THE INNER EXTREMITIES OF EACH OF SAID TRUSSES, A CENTER POST EXTENDING ONLY PARTIALLY DOWNWARD FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE BUILDING STRUCTURE AND TERMINATING AT A PLACE VERTICALLY SPACED UPWARD FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BUILDING STRUCTURE, SAID SLIDE ADAPTED TO MOVE UPWARDLY ON SAID CENTER POST TO THEREBY ELEVATE EACH TRUSS SIMULTANEOUSLY, POSTS NEAR THE OUTER EXTREMITIES OF SAID TRUSSES AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID TRUSSES TO FORM A FULCRUM FOR THE MOTION OF SAID TRUSSES AS THEY ARE BEING ELEVATED, AND BRACES CONNECTED TO SAID TRUSSES OUTWARDLY OF SAID POSTS FOR STABILIZING SAID TRUSSES, ANCHORS AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POSTS TO WHICH SAID POSTS AND SAID BRACES ARE SECURED, SAID SLIDE BEING IN AN ELEVATED POSITION ON SAID CENTER POST AND LOCATED ABOVE SAID POSTS. 